ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ

WeÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™re back.

The new semester started a few weeks ago, but Monday was the first day we returned to in-person instruction. Our campuses are busy again, our residence halls are full, and our lecture halls, seminar rooms, labs, studios, and libraries are back in action.

ItÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™s great to see the Pace campuses returning to life.

We kept our first two weeks of instruction this semester virtual, so we could de-densify our campuses through the Omicron surge and also ensure everyone was able to stay engaged with their classes, even if quarantine or isolation was required. IÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™m pleased to report that our reopening has gone smoothly and safely, with just a handful of students needing to isolate after positive tests.

Even better, the encouraging trends at ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ are reflected in our broader community: The country at large and especially our local areas have seen a rapid decrease in test positivity since just a few weeks ago. In New York City, the average rate is roughly a third of what it was two weeks ago, and less than 15 percent of where it stood another two weeks before that. In Westchester, itÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™s less than half of two weeks ago, and under a fifth of two weeks before that.

WeÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™re keeping a close eye on numbers at Pace, and we anticipate that weÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™ll be able to reduce our COVID Alert Level soon. (WeÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™re still waiting for results from this weekÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™s tests.) IÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™m hopeful that sometime over the coming weeks weÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™ll be able to get back to greenÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ”but even now weÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™re starting to get back to the kind of connection and interaction we so prize about our campus experience.

WeÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™ll have more news on that very soon, so be sure to keep checking your Pace email.

For now, welcome back to in-person Pace, and welcome back to a resurgent New York City and Westchester County. IÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™m excited to be able to see all of you soon; IÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™m excited to cheer on Setter athletes and applaud our long-awaited Actors Studio Drama School rep season; and IÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™m excited to get back to enjoying everything our campuses, our city, and our region have to offer.